Interview Prep Made Simple

(Excuse the cheesy interview pic!)

As many in the tech community find themselves thrown back into the search for new opportunities, I wanted to share some interview preparation guidance to hopefully make that process a little bit less daunting.

I’ve had positive feedback on the pointers below over many years in recruitment, so please read on and share with those that this may help!

Company / Role Research

1.??????Read over the website and job spec - Can you give a brief explanation of what the company do and what the role entails?

2.??????Think about what you like about the role.

Referencing specific reasons for what’s drawn you to the opportunity will highlight a genuine interest and set you apart from many candidates! This may include:

o??An interest in specific technologies / practices used;

o??Excitement around the nature and scale of products / projects;

o??Alignment to specific company values;

o??Specific learning and progression opportunities;

o??An interest in the stage of business – are they going through funding, embarking on a period of growth, entering new markets etc. ?

Interview Goals

I’d recommend keeping the following goals in mind for all interviews:

1.??????Proceed to the next stage / receive an offer

2.??????Gain enough information to ensure you know whether you’d be happy to proceed

What do hiring managers look for?

1.??????Can the person do the job?

This comes down to clearly conveying relevant experience; specific examples of previous projects, application of technologies and responsibilities across roles (more on this below).

2.??????How interested is the person in the opportunity?

Show enthusiasm! Reassure them that you want to grow within the company, develop technically, love the scale and nature of the product etc. – This is where referencing specific reasons for your interest in the opportunity is key.

3.??????Cultural Alignment

This often comes down to clear communication; a drive to learn, improve and contribute; and a positive, friendly attitude. Researching company values may help here.

Common Questions?

Technical – Identify the relevant technologies and think about examples of how you’ve applied them previously, and what result you achieved (anything tangible around cost saving, improved performance etc.)

Also expect questions around why you left previous companies; types of projects worked on; day-to-day activities and responsibilities; suggestions, ideas and changes you’ve advocated; challenges on projects overcome; how you handle conflict; stakeholder management (client or internal) etc.

If they ask around an area of inexperience?

Don’t worry! Be honest about your level of experience or understanding – Then reassure them that you can overcome the experience gap, by referring to another experience gap you’ve previously overcome.

Ex. ‘I haven’t had the opportunity to use that technology, but I’m interested in developing skills in that area. I’m confident in upskilling as I’ve had previous projects where I didn’t have ‘X skills’, but was able to research/use online resources and then apply it on the project to X result…’

Have Questions Prepared?

Quality questions are a great way to set your interview apart from competitors.

They will help you to understand if the role is right for you; convey a genuine interest in the role; and say a lot about your character while highlighting what’s important to you.

I’d recommend questions such as:

‘How would you describe the company culture?’; ‘What do you see as the potential for growth within the company over the next 1-2 years and beyond?’; ‘What types of projects will I likely be involved in?’, ‘What will the opportunities for learning and development be like?’, ‘What would your expectations be from me?’ etc.

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Final Question

I’ve had very positive feedback from this finishing question:

“Great to speak with you. Were there any answers that I didn’t explain clearly or that I could go into in the more detail for you?”

This could give you one last golden opportunity to overcome any slight reservations and finish the interview on a high!